Popular Reality TV

The Beatles’ Paul McCartney said Thursday that shows such as such as The Voice and American Idol are “cool” and “fascinating,” and says he watches them. He was promoting his upcoming Showtime documentary The Love We Make , which is about his post-Sept. 11 benefit concert, and uses cinema verite footage shot then by Albert Maysles, who directed Grey Gardens, among other documentaries. The film debuts Sept. 10; McCartney said, “the 10th anniversary spurred me into thinking, wait a minute, Albert took some great footage back then that we never did anything with. And it just seemed like it would be a good opportunity.” Asked about singing competition reality series, McCartney said, “I think all of that is cool because it’s what’s happening today and you always have to understand that. You know, if people want it, people are going to have it. So it’s got some value. I feel a little sorry sometimes for some of the performers because they don’t have that background. We had years before we h...

American Idol 10 has finally ended, and the reaction to the season seems to be a resounding “eh.” However, more people watched this season than last. How is that possible? And how did we go from a strong but familiar start to such a mediocre finale ? The answer is simple: American Idol decided it was about singing —even though it was never been about singing before. Sometimes people question why I cover the Fox series because it’s just a talent show. But it is not that. The singing has always been secondary to the human drama, from the judges interaction to the contestants’ personalities. For nine seasons , the show has pretended it was an uplifting talent show when it was the opposite: an often mean-spirited competition on which singing took a backseat to drama. That’s what generates conversation and headlines that extends beyond the show. What did we have to talk about this year, after Steven Tyler said “fuck a duck” ? I think that’s reflected in the ratings, even though they actu...

CMT »     by Andy Dehnart / February 9, 2011, 12:33 PM This April, American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance executive producer Nigel Lythgoe will debut a surprisingly original new show on CMT: CMT’s Next Superstar , a competition for singer-songerwriters in which viewers vote. I suppose that it’s for singer-songerwriters makes it slightly different, but please. CMT says the show “will search for undiscovered singer-songwriters who think they have what it takes to make it in the music industry” and “will compete while living together in Nashville,” where they “will try to impress celebrity guests each week through a series of music business-related challenges and grueling performance rounds.” Although CMT doesn’t explicitly mention it, Nigel told the Hollywood Reporter that this is a country music competition: “Country music is all about storytelling, personalities and putting yourself into the songs. This show is not about going to a set, it’s about being in a location that has...

The Voice »     by Andy Dehnart / February 1, 2011, 7:53 PM Carson Daly will host NBC’s The Voice , the singing competition produced by Mark Burnett and Jon de Mol that used to be called Voice of America . It will now air this spring, well in advance of Fox’s X Factor , but of course, it won’t have Simon Cowell. NBC reality exec Paul Telegdy said Carson Daly, who came to fame hosting MTV’s TRL and currently hosts the network’s late-night show Last Call with Carson Daly , “is the perfect choice to host this exciting new series owing to his credibility, popularity and relevance in both the music world and social media. As he has demonstrated on his late-night show, Carson has the knack of recognizing new talent, which is a key component in ‘The Voice.’” And Carson Daly said, “I have a true appreciation for authentic, raw talent and ‘The Voice’ is all about finding that. Having worked in the music industry for many years, I am looking forward to hosting ‘The Voice.’ This is a show based ...

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